Pretrial & Probation Services
Pretrial Services
Pretrial Services provides the highest levels of ethical and professional conduct, remaining neutral, objective and ethical. The goal of Seneca County Pretrial Services is to provide supervision of defendants awaiting trial or sentencing, and to assure compliance with bond conditions. A Pretrial Services Specialist is assigned to each defendant accordingly.
Pretrial Services Contact Information
- 67 St Francis Avenue Tiffin, Ohio 44883
- Phone: (567) 220-7018
- Fax: (567) 220-7867
Pretrial performs two primary functions:
- Make bond recommendations to the Court for any individual referred by the Court on a criminal charge. Bond recommendations are made after a defendant is interviewed and specific information, such as prior criminal record, current home address, and current employment status, is investigated and verified.
- Help alleviate jail overcrowding. Pretrial supervision shall provide the least restrictive supervision recommendation to the Court, specifically determined by the circumstances of each individual case and defendant.
Benefits Of Pretrial Services:
Seneca County Pretrial Services serves the criminal justice system and community and assists in preserving community safety. Seneca County Pretrial Services provides the Court with information that assists in the judicial process, enforces court orders and provides supervision and treatment options to defendants.
The “intake” component gathers and provides information about defendants and helps the Court in making informed decisions concerning pretrial release through written reports.
The “supervision” component increases court appearance rates, proactively monitors court ordered conditions of pretrial release, and refers defendants to specialized service providers.
Supervision requirements are assigned based on the defendant’s level of risk determined by the ORAS-PAT assessment. There are three levels of supervision: Minimum, Medium, and Maximum. Pretrial supervision may include random drug/alcohol testing, in-person reporting, EM/SCRAM and referrals to appropriate community agencies.
Probation Services
The Mission Statement of the Seneca County Probation Services is to enhance public safety and promote defendant reintegration in the community through proactive supervision and referral to community resources. Through effective community-based supervision, enforcement of court orders, and promotion of defendant’s positive change, Seneca County Probation Services shall provide the highest quality service to the Court, community, and defendants.
Probation Services Contact Information
- 65 St Francis Avenue Tiffin, Ohio 44883
- Phone: (567) 220-6900
- Fax: (567) 220-6523
Court's Philosophy About Community Control:
All officers provide supervision to assigned defendants through evidenced-based practices. Addressing the core issues/needs of every defendant’s experience requires evaluation and many levels of service. Defendants are referred to local agencies to address issues related to substance abuse, mental health and psychiatric care, other support-based groups, vocational support, GED classes and other individualized services.
All officers are trained in evidence-based practices and core correctional practices. Specifically, all officers utilize Motivational Interviewing techniques to encourage defendants to explore and access internal and external factors that impact their thinking and subsequent actions.
Probation Department Staff:
Seneca County Probation Services is staffed by six full-time probation officers and the Chief Probation Officer as well as a program assistant.
- Brandy Bagent, Chief Probation Officer
(567) 220-7018 ext. 4218 - Cathy Brookes, Senior Probation Officer
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4270 - McKinley Armstrong, Probation Officer
(567) -220-6900 ext. 4262 - Angela Ward, Probation Officer
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4256 - Daniel Shaferly, Probation Officer
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4240 - Patrick Ardner, Probation Officer
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4241 - Daniel Cole, Probation Officer
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4243 - Denise Ackerman, Program Assistant
(567) 220-6900 ext. 4201
Local Rules of Court
The Local Rules of Court herein shall apply only to the General and Domestic Relations Divisions, except as otherwise specifically provided.
PIVOT Program
"Participating in Victory Transition" is a program that helps participants get back on the right path and assists with long-term sobriety.
Civil Mediation
Mediation is a process whereby the parties meet with a person not connected with the case, who is trained in dispute resolution.